Jane Doe: The Harder They Fall (2006)

Too much of everything

One of my all time favorites.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Breakfast foods tycoon David Groh is rescued from having gone overboard from his yacht on which he's on a sailing cruise with his company Vice Presidents one of whom he suspects of having leaked information about substandard product sent to third world countries to a Michael Moore like documentary film maker. But after the yacht has landed he's found in fact drowned on a beach. Dorian Harewood who was his security chief and former CSA agent is blamed for the death having fallen off the wagon. Harewood's drinking got him canned from the Central Security Agency in the first place.But what are good friends and agents like Joe Penny and Lea Thompson for if not to call on. If it wasn't Groh's death now becomes a matter of national security.I'm not as pleased with this Hallmark series of mystery solving women as with others. It reminds me a lot of a warmed over version of the old series The Scarecrow And Mrs. King.Groh was not a nice man and a lot of people would have motives. Look for a nice performance by Helen Slater who succeeds Groh as president of the company to the plaudits of all.The whole series concept is a bit much.

Lea Thompson stars and and is also the director of this Hallmark Channel movie of a suburban housewife who also moonlights as a government agent.A former Central Security Agency operative Jim Monroe (Dorian Harewood) who used to work with Jane Doe got fired for being drunk on the job. His boss a cereal company tycoon fell overboard at night but was successfully retrieved. A few days later just after he had given a live television interview he has been found drowned.Monroe is concerned and insists that he was not drunk on the job yet no one has thought of running a blood test on him.Jane Doe investigates and finds out that almost all the executives of the company had sold their shares options a few days earlier and when she goes to the television studio she figures that the live television interview may not had been live.There is a sub plot about her daughter who has used her student fund to purchase shares in the cereal company which have dived after the death of the owner of the company.The film is certainly cheesy and Lt Colombo will not be having any sleepless nights regarding the depth of the mystery here. It is undemanding viewing even the daughter panicking about the fall in the share prices does not sound right. W K Kellogg has been dead for decades but it seems to have had little effect in the sales of Rice Krispies.

I have been a watcher of Jane Doe since the beginning and I have to say this was the best one by far. I started watching because i am friends with one of the main cast members and thought it was a pretty good show, but not that different from many other non FBI type crime shows. But the story in this one, both mystery and home life, went above and beyond the other Jane Does. I have to admit I was both excited and nervous to see what Lea was going to do when she stepped to a position behind the camera as well. Although I trusted her Dierecting skills, as a stage actor i know it is somewhat difficult to direct yourself, especially in a lead role, since you can not fully see what your shot looks like. As i look at the website i am anxiously waiting for "The Brigadoon Effect" as the story sounds more mysterious then ever before. This is an excellent series that deserves watching.

We can't expect something extreme from the Hallmark Channel, nor can we expect anything decent from modern Hollywood. That said, one can only agree that you must do well with what you're given, and this films case, it proves to be true. We don't have a real blockbuster when it comes to watching films produced by the Hallmark Channel. Most of their films are family friendly, and interest only the more soft of audiences. Still, I suppose some of those telefilms are decent enough to tolerate, if given the right production values and proper treatment in post-production. This film, certainly deserves a look.Hallmark has a film series of "Jane Doe" films. I had not idea, or ever cared before, until the films premiere last night. I certainly adore some of Lea Thompsons work, so watching her is always interesting, if not curious. This latest installation of the mystery television films finds a woman, named Cathy, who has a secret life of solving crimes while away from the suburbs. She has no real desire to return to the field, until tricky crimes plague a group of associates in a stock company. Now, she must team up with her partner, Frank.Lea Thompson is a real nice performer, and as a director she goes far enough, but her light subject material makes the film somewhat fluffy and tame. Nothing is wrong with that, but mysteries should be dark too. This film was dark, and appropriate. As I said, it was done well with what it had. The cinematography is done well enough, even for a family television movie. Lea Thompson shows how cutsie tootsie she still is, with a light, humorous comedy with little twists around every corner. The co-stars work quite well, however the matter of William R Moses as the husband character in films like this is all to predictable and familiar. The glue for the film, however, is as firm as the earth stands, when viewing another terrific performance by the always remarkable, absolutely exquisite Helen Slater. Slaters' appearance in a full-length film is the first in 2 years, so having the opportunity to watch the first airing was good enough. Quite easily over-looked, this film is a nice piece of something simple for fans of the like.